Improvement in seeding-machines



T. LINDSEY.

Grain Drill.

No. 27,865 Patented Apr. 10. 1860.

- tion of the same, reference being had to the myinvention, taken in the line mm, Fig. 2; Fig.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS LINDSEY, OF LINOOLN,'ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND J. H. BEIDLER.

IMPROVEMENT IN s EEDlNG-MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS LINDSEY, of Lincoln, in the county of Logan and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Seeding-Machine; and Idoherebydeclare that the following is a full,clear, and exact descripannexed drawings, makinga partof this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of 2, a back elevation of the same, partly bisected, as indicated by the line y 3 Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a detached plan view of a portion of the seeddistributing device.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents an axle with a wheel, B, at each end; and we are cross-bars, which are attached, one at each end of the axle A.

To the ends-of the cross-bars a abars I) b are secured, the latter being parallel with the axle A.

To each crossbar a a a standard, c, is attached, and these standards support a seedbox, B, which is nearly equal in length to the axle A, as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

Immediately underneath the seed box B a shaft, d,is placed longitudinally, said axle having a driving-pulley, e, atone end around which a belt, f, passes from a pulley, g, at the inner end of the hub of one of the wheels B, as shown in Fig. 2.

0n the axle cl a series of wheels, h, are placed. These wheels pass up or work through slots in the bottom '13 of the seed-box, each wheel being inclosed below the seedbox by a case,j, as shown clearly in Fig. l. The wheels it have their peripheries notched or recessed to form seed-cells 7c, and the partitions l, which form the cells, are shaped like ratchet-teeth, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. This form of the partitions causes the seed cells to have one side much more inclined than the other. The object of this will be presently stated.

Within the seed-box B there is placed longitudinally a slide, 0. This slide is formed of a plate having oblong slots, 12:, made in it, through which guide-screws it pass. (See Fig. 3.) This slide 0 is placed on the bottom t'of the hopper and directly in front of the wheels 71, and the back edge of the slide 0 directly in front of each wheel, is notched, as shown at 0, one or more notches being madcin front of each wheel. If more than one notch is employed in front of each wheel, said notches are made of different depths, as shown in Fig. 3. The slide 0 may be so adjusted as to bring eitherof the notches o in front of the wheels h, or neither of them. When the notches are shoved entirely at one side of the wheels the back edge of the slide is brought nearly in contact with the wheels. the latter being allowed to work just clear of the slide, in order to prevent friction.

To the lower end of the cases flexible tubes 19 are attached, one to each. These tubes are connected at their lowerends to the upper ends of vertical tubes g, which are of metal and secured at their upper ends in the bars I) I), the tubes of one bar being in line with the centers of the spaces between the others. The flexible tubes 19 are attached alternately to the tubes q, and to the lower end of each tubeq a share, D, is attached. These shares D are of doublemold-board form, and they have inclined back edges, as shown in Fig. 1, to admit of the-earth passing behind and falling into and filling the furrows, and consequently covering the seed dropped therein. The front edges of the tubes q are made sharp, as shown at 'r, forming colters.

To the back part of the axle A a curved support, E, is attached for the drivers seat F, and to, the front part of said axle the draft-pole G is attached.

The operation is as follows The seed-box B is supplied with a requisite quantity of seed, and as the machine is drawn along the wheels h are rotated from one of the wheels B by the bandfin the direction indicated by the arrow. The seed cells 7c of course fill with seed, and the cells, as the wheels h rotate, convey the seed out from the hopper and discharge it into the tubes 19, through which the seed passes into the tubes q, and is discharged into the furrows formed by the shares D. The seed cells It, in consequence of having one quite oblique side,

are allowed to carry their seed, without crushing or breaking it, past the edge of the slide 0, as will be fully understood by referring to Fig.1. Were thepartitions Zarranged radially, their outer edges would serve to split and bruise the seed while passing the inner edge of slide 0; but the obliquity of the partitions prevents this contingency, as the outer edge of each partition does not pass the inner edge of slide (1 until the seed in the cell below it has passed below'the upper edge of the slide. This is quite an important feature of the invention.

in order to vary the quantity of seed to be planted in a given area, the slide 0 is adjusted to sow the smallestquantity over a given space.

The slide 0 is moved so that the notches 0 will not be in front of the wheels h, and the inner edge of slide 0 brought nearly in contact with wheels h. This quantity is increased by moving the slide to the shallowest notches 0 in front of the wheels. The quantity is still further increased by moving the slide to bring the next deepest notch 0 in front of the wheels h, and so on, the deeper the notches 0 the wider the space between the wheels h and slide 0, and consequently the more profuse the distrihution of the seed.

The shares I), as before stated, form thefurrows and permit the same to fill behind the shares. The shares D are placed at such a distance apart as to fully plow the ground or act upon its wholesurt'ace between them.

Having thus described my inventioiulclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent The arrangement of the notched slide 0, Wheels lb, oblique partitions l, seed-cells 7c,tubes qp, and sh ares D, as and for thepnrpose herein shown and described.

THOMAS LINDSEY.

Witnesses:

HENRY M. BEIDLER, FRANKLIN FIsK. 

